I was dxd with cis nearly two years ago. At first it was get a regular cysto in the office which resulted in hmmmm... looks like some suspicious areas there - better do an OR biopsy. This year it's just been go straight to the OR and get cysto with multiple random biopsy samples. Saves me a trip and I feel a little more confident.....but not too. Even 8 or 10 samples may miss it. And don't believe any uro who says there was none present. The best they can say is they didn't see any - which doesn't mean it isn't there. That is why it's such a shame that in this day and age we are denied the diagnostic improvements that Hexvix could bring us. I understand it's approved for use in all 27 European Union countries. Good grief, it's not even a treatment - it's just an identification tool - it could save money and lives but the FDA hasn't given it a priority. I'm told the FDA has 3000 job vacancies they can't obtain funding to fill. Maybe the new administration will bring some relief.
Meanwhile, I don't think bladder cancer research carries much weight in the world of research either. Listen to Dr.O'Donnell's latest interview on this site. He says it's way down on the money chain and dropping year after year. He says it's like who remembers who came in worse than third in any Olympic event. I'm doing what I can - if the finance geniuses in Washington and Wall Street don't wipe out all my assets by the time I check out, I'm putting the University of Iowa Foundation - bladder cancer research, in my will for a nice pop. best, brewster
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